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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Sometimes, You're Worth It!

As regular readers know, I seldom drink a wine that creeps much above $20. Occasionally, however, I make a little splurge and try a wine that is around $30 (or above...) just to see what (if anything) I'm missing. Some of my regular splurges include Larkmead cabernets; almost anything by Tablas Creek, Owen Roe, or Kris Curran; pinot noirs from Fort Ross, Sineann, and Eric Kent; and Eric Kent chardonnays. Sometimes, it's worth it to splurge even if it's just for a meal after a long day at work. It makes me feel pampered to open up a wine that costs a little bit more, especially if it delivers more in the flavor department.

There are few guarantees, however, that spending more on a wine will necessarily result in a wine delivering more bang for the buck. As a result I'm careful with my splurges. In the past, I've only splurged on wine when I know that I like how the winemakers in question handle the grapes based on my experience with wine tastings at the winery, at wine shops, or at big events like Pinot Days. In other words, I have to know I like the cleanness of the wine, the quality of the fruit, and the deliciousness of the end product before I plunk down more than $20. Recently, though, I've been taking more and more recommendations from folks on the 'net, including consumers on CellarTracker! and fellow bloggers.

Among the consumers over at WineQ--another site that has great reviews from folks who have had the wine you're thinking about buying--there was a fair amount of consensus that the 2003 RustRidge Chardonnay was a wonderful wine that was worth the money ($29.99, WineQ). I put it in my Q a few months back and received it before the summer heat. It was waiting for me when I needed something to pair with a chicken pasta dish tossed with some green beans and a compound butter made with cashews (note: I threw in some parsley and garlic with the butter and cashews, as well). This was one of the best domestic chardonnays I've had in a while--probably since my last Eric Kent. When I poured it out into the glass it had the color of bright straw, and aromas of pineapple, apple, and vanilla-cream. These delicious aromas dominated the flavors, too, and added to them came a lovely butterscotch note as you held the last drops in your mouth. It was a perfect foil to the rich, subtly-flavored pasta dish. And this is how I like my chardonnays to be oaked--with finesse and restraint. (RustRidge uses a mix of 1-3 year old French oak barrels, and leaves the wine in there for a year).

The overall impression that was left was one of cleanness and richness. This chardonnay was just as wonderful as my fellow Qers said it was, and even at just shy of $30 represented very good QPR given its balance and complexity. And that's what I'm looking for when I splurge a bit on a wine--more balance, more complexity, and all the great varietal characteristics that make wine distinct (and a distinct pleasure). What have you splurged on recently?

8 comments:

Cool post. It pays to have access to folks who can steer you towards wine you will enjoy. That's how I feel about "Good Wine Under $20." I recently had the Four Vines "Naked" Chardonay you reviewed recently and really enjoyed it. The flavors reminded me of how I remember Chardonays tasting!

I did splurge recently, but have not tasted. I bought a 2003 Guigal Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde with my last employee discount when I recently quit working at a local wine store. I read about the wine in "The Wine Bible." I'm waiting for a special occasion to try it!

Hi everybody. I don't have a problem 360 days of the year drinking wine under $20, but I do love the splurges on the other 5 days! It's like getting a "wine spa day" to me. Glad you liked that Four Vines Chard, Orion Slayer. It's sooo good and sooo well-priced. And I think Jill might be right about the 2003 Guigal. I might hang onto that for another year or two provided I had somewhere to put it where it would be safe. It will be fine, now (maybe with a roast beef dinner this winter?) but be even better NEXT winter. Check here (http://tinyurl.com/297vks) for more advice.

Thanks for stopping by, Marshall. It was a beautiful wine--I'm happy that RustRidge will hear from at least one very satisfied drinker, but if they really want to be happy they should of course check out the other Q member reviews. After all, that's what led me to the wine! Glad the weather is cooling down and I could activate my Q once more!

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If you are commenting on a post please do so by clicking on the comment links included in every post's footer (just to the right of the share buttons above the date stamp). If you need to reach me for some other reason, I can be reached at goodwineunder20 (at) gmail.com. For my tasting policy, please click on the "view my complete profile" link above before sending an email.

Where Are the Scores?

All wine ratings are subjective. On this blog, I indicate QPR (quality to price ratio) for the wines I review rather than using the familiar 100-point scale because it better reflects my interest in a wide variety of high quality, reasonably priced wine. Here is how I evaluate the wine I review: Excellent QPR is used to describe a wine that has strong varietal characteristics and an attractive price point for that varietal. Very good QPR designates a wine with strong varietal characteristics and a less attractive price point for that varietal OR moderate varietal characteristics and an attractive price point. Good QPR designates a wine that is average in varietal characteristics and price point. Poor QPR designates a wine that is not a good quality for the price paid, because it lacks varietal characteristics and/or demands too high a price for the wine it delivers.
If you want to see a 100-point scale score generated by the tasting notes of ordinary wine drinkers (including me), check out Cellar Tracker!